Hello and thanks for your enquiry,

You will still have follow-up mammograms ordered by your hospital team. Under NHS guidelines, even though you are past the standard routine screening age limit of 70/71, anyone treated for breast cancer is typically entitled to annual follow-up mammograms for 5 years. These scans are handled as part of your active post-cancer care plan (often called Personalised Follow-Up) rather than the standard public screening programme.

Because your oncologist has discharged you to the local breast clinic, the clinic will usually assume the management of these yearly scans. However, since it wasn't explicitly mentioned during your phone call, it is completely normal to feel confused about what comes next.

The local breast clinic or your hospital team will arrange annual mammograms for you for the first 5 years. You do not need to self-refer or ask for these; they should be scheduled automatically as part of your post-surgery surveillance and follow up care. Your oncologist mentioned repeat DEXA scans because certain breast cancer treatments (like hormone therapy) can affect bone density. These are completely separate from your breast imaging scans.

I hope this helps,

Best wishes,

Vanda